By María Mercedes Gómez

What is democracy? What is the relationship between democracy, security, and gender? This past month working with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) has made me consider deeper ways to understand these concepts. Although I am Colombian and I have lived in Mexico many years of my life, living in Panama has taught me that every Latin American country is unique. Every day has been a constant discovery—from learning how to take public transportation, which products are best in the grocery store, and how to dress for the office in a Central American country to learning how to interact with people from across Latin America in the office.